by Dena Christy
He straightened up and her eyes drifted open.
"Shall we go to Landis' office and see what he's discovered?"
She nodded, and stepped away from him. She took his hand and together they left the atrium and walked down the corridor that would take them to Landis' office. When they got there they found him at his computer, scowling and cursing under his breath. This was not a good sign, and the hope and excitement that Rone had been feeling when the device had discovered the password seeped out of him.
"I have some bad news."
Cheria clutched at Rone's hand and he glanced over at her. Her face had paled, and he didn't know if she was going to be able to take anymore bad news considering all that she'd gone through since this whole thing started.
"I don't know if I can take any more bad news. Why can't we just have something positive happen for once." Cheria let go of Rone's hand and moved closer to Landis. Rone came over too. Landis looked away from his computer and over at them.
"The files are encrypted, and it's a very strong one. We aren't going to know anything until I break through it."
"But you will be able to break through it?" Rone asked as he brought a hand down to rest on Cheria's shoulder.
"I'm sure I will, eventually. But it's going to take time." Landis held up his hand. "Before you ask how long, I don't know the answer to that. It will take as long as it takes."
Landis turned away and focused his attention on his computer screen. He set to work, opening applications and making rapid keystrokes. "Staring at me is not going to get me to break this any faster, so perhaps you should find something to occupy yourselves with while I get to work."
Cheria stood up and turned away. Rone watched her move to the other end of the office and sat in a chair by the huge window that looked out onto the walled courtyard at the back of the house.
Rone moved away from Landis and went to her. He moved the chair that was near to her and pulled it around so that he was facing her. He reached out and took her hands. He could see her disappointment when she looked at him.
"I feel like we can't win. It's like every time we stand up something knocks us down again."
"I know it must feel that way, but this is only a setback. We have not lost yet. We are further ahead than we were this morning. The information is no longer on your chip, which is more than could be said when you woke up this morning. Landis will break the encryption."
"I hope so." She squeezed his hands and pushed her lips into a smile.
An alarm rang out from Landis' computer and both he and Cheria turned rapidly to see what was happening.
"Guys, you better come here and look at this." There was alarm in Landis' voice and Rone stood up and strode toward Landis and his computer with Cheria following rapidly behind him.
"What is wrong?"
"I set my facial recognition program to cycle through the surveillance footage from cameras in the city. The alarm means that it has done what I hoped it wouldn't." He it several keys and an image came up on the large view screen.
Cheria gasped and took Rone's hand and squeezed it. The muscle worked in Rone's jaw as he looked at the image on the screen. In the still image blown up on the screen was the android.
"Landis, what does this mean?" There was fear in Cheria's voice and Rone let go of her hand and put his arm around her shoulder, hoping to take her fear away and offer her comfort.
"It means that this footage was taken five minutes ago outside the Kestral Hotel. It means that our friend is here."
Chapter 18
Panic rose up inside Cheria. How had he found them?
"How is this possible? How did he find us?" Icy fear pumped through her body and she swayed for a second. Rone was at her side in an instant and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, trying to absorb his strength.
Landis shook his head. "I don't know. Perhaps he is following connections. Perhaps he is following the logic that you would need help from someone you know and maybe he followed my father's connection to me and he's searching every hotel in town for information about you."
And if he showed the staff at the hotel her picture, chances were she would be recognized because she'd been careless enough to stop wearing her disguise after that first day when she'd checked them in to the hotel.
"What are we going to do?"
"We must leave. All of us." Rone didn't look very happy about it and his arm tightened around her shoulder for a second. "If he has followed your connection to your father then he may very well know where you live. Once he is unable to find Cheria and I at any of the hotels in the city, he is going to come here."
"How can you be sure?" Surely they were safe here?
"It is what I would do. If this creature is programed to be a warrior, to be a hunter, then he will come here."
"Even if he does come here, there is no way he's getting in." Landis looked to Cale, who'd come to join their group. Landis' bodyguard shook his head.
"If you are correct in your assumption that this creature is a machine, he may have capabilities we do not know about. Until we know how to kill it, or if it is possible to kill it, the safer option would be to run."
And they couldn't sit in here, trapped in this house. Cheria knew that Rone was right, that they needed to leave here.
Where would they run to? As much as she didn't want to bring it up, she knew where she and Rone had to go.
"Rone and I will go to Tusko M'Kedi." She glanced up at Rone, and the deep scowl that descended on his face showed plainly how he felt about that.
"No. That is where the bounty issuer wanted me to take you. It would be too dangerous for you there."
"It's too dangerous for me here." She did not want to argue with Rone in front of Landis and his bodyguard. She glanced at Landis. "How much time do you think we have?"
"We have a little time. The surveillance image was only captured five minutes ago. If his intent is to question the staff, then that will take some time. I'd say if we are going to leave we need to be out of here within the next hour."
"Rone and I will start packing." Cheria walked out of the office with Rone behind her. When they got to the bedroom they shared, she turned to him. She had wanted to get him in here so they could speak privately. He needed to listen to reason. The more she thought about it, the more going to Tusko M'Kedi made sense. But she wasn't sure she could put her gut feeling into words.
She turned to face him and the hard look he wore had not gone away. Convincing him that this was a good idea was going to take some fast talking on her part.
"I know you think this is a bad idea. But Tusko M'Kedi is the key to this. Whoever is in control of the android is there and it is the last place they would expect us to go. And my old mentor, Remy is there too. He could help us."
Rone shook his head. "No, we do not involve anyone else."
"Okay, we won't involve Remy for now." Once they got to Tusko M'Kedi, perhaps he would see that they needed an ally in the city and would change his mind. She wouldn't push it for now, because first she had to get him to agree to her plan. "How long do you think we are going to be able to run from him? Where do you suggest we go? Do you have a place in mind where we can lie low until we can find out who is behind this?"
He made a noise of impatience as he turned away from her. "You know I do not."
"Then this is our best option. I have a place where we can stay. It's not much but it should be safe enough to stay there until Landis breaks the encryption."
Rone turned back to her and took hold of her arms. "Safe enough is not good enough. You are putting yourself too much at risk, woman."
"I know." She rested her hands on his chest and ran her palms in soothing circles over his tense muscles. He was fierce in his need to protect her, and she was humbled by it. She hadn't exactly lived the most exemplary life, but somehow he'd seen something inside her that was worth saving, worth keeping safe. She softened her voice as she looked up at him. "We don't have a cho
ice, you know we don't. It's the last place he would expect us to go and we'll have a place to hide out. And I have you to keep me safe, don't I?"
"I will lay down my life to keep you safe." He pulled her into his arms. "But I would rather not take the risk of danger coming to you at all."
"It's too late for that. The danger is already after me. It's here in this city right now, and if we don't leave here and go somewhere, it will find me."
His arms tightened around her and she rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. After the initial panic that had gone through her when she'd seen the android on the view screen, a sense of calm had washed over her. If she and Rone were ever going to get through this alive, they needed to move forward.
It was clear that they were not going to be able to hide out here. The sanctuary of this bedroom, where they'd found their passion for each other, was an illusion. It had lulled them into thinking they had all the time in the world to come up with a solution to their problem. The illusion was now shattered.
He pulled back and cupped her face. "We will go to Tusko M'Kedi. I will keep you safe and if I feel that the danger is too great, we will leave. That is my condition for going. Do you agree?"
"I agree." She reached up to put her hands on the back of his neck. He got the message and leaned down and kissed her with a passion that they unfortunately would not have time to indulge. He pulled back and looked down at her and the tension in his face had not eased. "It will work out. Tusko M'Kedi is the key to who is behind this."
"I wish I could share your confidence."
He stepped away from her and turned to pack his things. Cheria did the same and it did not take long for them to get ready to go.
There was one last thing that he needed to do before they could leave, and she watched as he put his arms through the leather straps that held the sheath of his weapon against his back. He slid the blade home, and turned to her.
The look on his face showed her that the tender lover that had been in this room with her all night was gone. In his place was a warrior willing to kill if necessary. She shivered when she saw the hard look in his silver eyes. She was glad that he had turned his attention to protecting her. If he'd still been hunting her she knew that he would not stop until he captured her.
"Now we go." He picked up his bag and she clutched hers as they walked out of the door. They went back to Landis' office and she could see the he and Cale had been busy while she and Rone had been in the bedroom. They had packed away some of the computer equipment, and when she and Rone went to where they were closing the last of the cases, Landis turned toward her.
"If you are set on going to Tusko M'Kedi I want you to take a different vehicle. I have one you can use. It would be better not to risk taking the one you used to get here. We'll go to the garage in a moment to get it set up for you." Landis turned away and went over to a cabinet. He pulled out what looked like a small black case, and came back over to his desk with it. He opened it, checked the contents and closed it again. He held it out to Cheria and she took it. "Take this computer. There is a signal blocker in the case with it so if you do need to use it, make sure it is connected so that you can't be traced. Once you get where you’re going, send me a message and let me know that you arrived safely."
"Thank you. What are you going to do?" Regret swept through Cheria that Landis was now in danger too.
"I have someplace to go, don't worry about me. I can take the equipment I need to break the encryption and I'll start working on it as soon as we head out. Do you need any money?"
Cheria shook her head. Thankfully she still had most of the money that her client had given her. It would be more than enough for her and Rone to buy supplies. She owned the place she intended for them to hide in, and it would cost them nothing to stay there.
"Thank you for everything you're doing." She reached out and quickly hugged Landis. He seemed surprised by her spontaneous show of affection and he patted her awkwardly on the back. She stepped back and he looked a little embarrassed. He cleared his throat.
"Well, let's get you set up with a vehicle so you can get out of here."
She and Rone followed Landis until they got to the garage. There were several cars parked in it in addition to the one she and Rone had driven here. Landis led them over to an older vehicle that looked very plain and forgettable. It took a few moments for Landis to program the on board computer to recognize her and Rone's voice commands and for their fingerprints to be scanned on the sensor on the console.
"You should be good to go. Be safe and I'll be in touch. Remember, let me know where you are when you get there and that you're safe."
"We will." Rone bowed his head at Landis before he turned to grab their bags and stow them into the trunk. Cheria took the case with the computer and set it in the back seat of the vehicle. She got in on the right side and waited for Rone to get in beside her.
"Are you absolutely certain about this?"
"Yes." She reached out and squeezed his hand.
"How well do you know the city?"
"I know it like the back of my hand. I was born there, and where I intend for us to go we'll be able to hide."
With a sigh of resignation, Rone reached out and put his thumb on the button on the dash board, and the onboard computer lit up and the engine came to life.
"Good afternoon, Rone. Destination please."
Cheria smile reassuringly as Rone glanced at her one last time.
"Tusko M'Kedi."
* * *
Rone blinked his eyes as their vehicle entered the port city of Tusko M'Kedi. He didn't think he'd done this much traveling in such a short time span since he'd arrived on the planet five years ago.
He'd traveled home once a year, the last time had been four months ago. Normally he rode in the comfort of the maglev to get here, not by hover vehicle for a day and a half as he and Cheria had done. They made stops along the way to eat, relieve themselves and stretch but hadn't wanted to risk staying anywhere for the night.
For a moment he wished that he hadn't come here to hide, but to take Cheria home to Thonax with him.
"Arriving at Tusko M'Kedi. Please input new destination."
Cheria gave the onboard computer an address and looked out the window as they drove through the city.
"This place hasn't changed much since the last time I was here." Cheria glanced over at him and smiled. I don't know what I thought, that it would miraculously turn into something other than a bustling port city."
She had been born in this city and yet she had not wanted to stay. He did not understand that. He had left his village on Thonax but only because he'd needed to make a large sum of money and that had not been possible at home.
"Why did you leave here?"
"I left because I wanted to start over, be a different person. Remy was retiring to do other things and I wanted a change. I thought I would be happier living somewhere else. And I was lured away by the stories of the glamorous capital city of Tari A'Veloo, where the beautiful people live and life is wonderful." She rolled her eyes as she gave a little laugh. "But when I got there I discovered that I was the same person, I just had a much nicer home. I wasn't any happier. In fact, I was stuck in the same loop of making more money, buying pretty things that I thought would make me happy and discovering that they didn't. So I'd start all over again."
She looked out the window again and Rone didn't want to press her to talk. The neighborhood around them was close to the space port, and there was a real mix of people walking around. Rone even saw a few Thonaxians
Cheria had seen them too.
"If anyone comes looking for a Thonaxian warrior they will find plenty of them."
She made a very good point. Perhaps this was a good place to hide, since it would be easier for him to blend in because a Thonaxian warrior was not an unusual sight around here. That had been a concern that he'd had, that his differences would make him stand out. He'd been afraid he woul
d be like a beacon luring the machine to Cheria's location.
Their vehicle turned into the entrance of a parking garage that had a barrier and a small guard building at the front. When they halted Cheria depressed the button that would lower the window.
"We need a temporary pass." She handed the guard several folded bills and he handed her a card.
She pressed the car to the read attached to a pole outside the tiny building. The barrier lifted and they drove inside. An empty housing came up on their left and the vehicle hovered over it, lowered and locked into it.
"We'll have to walk from here to where we're going. There is no place to park at my old place, and if we leave the car on the street there'll be nothing left of it by morning."
Cheria got out with the computer case in her hand. Rone followed and they went to the back of the vehicle to retrieve their bags.
As they left the parking garage, Rone had thought they would look conspicuous walking around with their bags in hand, but it turned out that they were not the only ones looking like they'd just arrived from somewhere else.
"How far must we go?" Although he was certain that they'd left the android behind in Bano Iberi, he would be more comfortable if they were off the streets.
"It's not far, but we are going to make one stop first."
They walked down a bustling thoroughfare and there were a number of street vendors and food stalls lining up along the street. The smell of the food reminded Rone that it had been hours since he'd eaten.
Cheria stopped in front of one of the food stalls and the proprietor smiled at her in recognition.
"Hey Cher. Haven't seen you in a long time." The man grinned at her and Rone stiffened for a second. She'd said that she was from here, and he should have realized that she might be known around here.
"Actually, you haven't seen me this time either." Her voice was bright and she slipped the man a hundred krill note, which quickly disappeared on his person. "I'm hoping you can keep an eye out for someone for me. He has icy blue eyes and blonde hair. He'll be looking for me and my friend here."
